I did alot of soul searching before naming this blog. I feel fortunate to see beautiful things every day. You could say I view the world through rose colored glasses or that I view the glass as always being half full. Whatever the reason Im happy to share with you my view of...a beautiful life

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

I know its not quite time for sprucing up your house for spring yet but I really dont like how empty my house feels after I take down all of my holiday decorations. Here are some ideas to help bring life back to your tired living spaces. All it takes is a new table, rug or piece of art.

Look how these lemons and white pottery bring life and energy to this picture...you can almost smell the clean spring air.

Add some glass candle sticks and colored glass floats to a table to give it new life. Since they are clear, the more the merrier in a small space!

Love the color and style of this blue pottery.

Great new demilune table from Drexel Heritage...love the pattern on the inlay. Check out the antique mirrored pendants- I'll talk more about those later

Awesome chrome bamboo coffee table with a glass top. Great if you want to show off a beautiful rug.

More pottery, this time in grey.

Love, love, love this new end table. Great style, size, finish...makes a great addition to any room.

Fun new piece of art and I have always loved the arched mirror behind it. The mirror is great for a room without alot of light or without interesting windows.

Cool new industrial end table...great to added a little contemporary to a room.

Love this fabric. Its actually vintage fabric pieces that have been patchworked together.

Nice different take on a starburst mirror. Very nice black and gold antiqued finish.

You need to see the color of this beauty in person. Such elegant lines...really graceful.

These are some of my favorite new lighting. The are about 36" in diameter and are a rusted metal finish. Great for a foyer or any space with a tall ceiling.

Close up of the sphere chandelier.

This table looks a little S&M but it is fabulous...lol

New wool area rug. Kind of reminds me of a cricket sweater but not as refined.

Another shot of the "cricket sweater" rug.

We've seen these rugs for a couple seasons now but I still really like them. They are patchworks pieced together with antique oriental rugs. Really a great look if you dont want a traditional oriental but still need a serious rug with some pattern.

Another shot of the patchwork oriental.

This is a great new company that makes tables from reclaimed wood...nice and green too. The pieces have a great patina and look like they have genuine "gentle" age to them. Nice turning, hinged top and gaitleg on this one.

Another piece from them made with reclaimed wood. This one has a little extra storage with drawers on the end which is a little unusual.

A close up of the natural distressing on the reclaimed wood.

Great sexy lines on this "X" leg sofa table....has a nice natural waxed finish too. Great for a beach house...look at it with the white sofa and white pottery.

This antique mirrored lamp is from our friend Dawn who owns and designs Notre Monde. She does the most amazing antiqued mirror pieces.

A pendant from Dawn...this one comes in a few sizes...great for a kitchen island or in a powder room.

I'm loving these decoupaged trays. They can be hung on a wall, grouped on a table, or used individually. They make great gifts too.

The West End Antique Mall on Staples Mill Road in Richmond is one of my favorite places to spend an hour or two just browsing and enjoying the great and interesting finds. With 250 dealers and 53,000 square feet of space there is always something new and unique...and the prices are great too!!! I stopped by today and wanted to share some of the new treasures I spotted.

I really liked the color that was used on this needlepoint covered stool. You could tell it had some age to it but the needlepoint had a beautiful vibrant color. I love the purple and blue together.

Art is such a personal thing and for some reason this painting really spoke to me (not literally spoke you understand but...) Its not done in a style I particularly enjoy and I normally like more color in art, but I actually went back to it 3 times just to check it out again. I figured out it was the way the artist painted the faces that I liked so much. Its so easy for an artist to not get the face quite right but I thought this couple was done just beautifully.

This vignette was just rich and beautiful. I loved the different textures and color. The bust is of one of the Popes (not sure which one).

Some beautiful inlay on a cabinet.

This is one big sconce! It had great presence in person, Im sure it would be beautiful in the right setting.

Loved these old cigar boxes...would make great storage for small items or just a great grouping on some library shelves.

This guy was fabulous! He stands about 4.5' to 5' tall and has some really nice age to him. Im guessing he was guarding the top of a building somewhere. I would love to have him in my garden.

They had a pair of these beautiful marble urns.

Some really great Tramp Art. If you are not familiar with Tramp Art just Google it and read about its origins. You'll have a great new appreciation for this kind of art and it can be the new thing you learned today!

Why didnt I think of that? There was a whole shelf full of great finds in this booth and my eye was immediately drawn by these old Royal Air Force patches in the simple gold frames. What a simple way to create something so unique!

I dont know if this was from a set of dining chairs or just a side chair but I haven't seen one with this design and carving before. Very pretty.

Loved, loved, loved these old table legs. They had great carving and were nice and big and beefy. Would like to make some shelves out of them.

Nice little box-on-stand. It had really nice proportions and the size was perfect.

Great leather trunk. It was really substantial in size, I dont think it was antique but it was very handsome.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Anyone who has seen my own home or interiors I have designed know that I am a big fan of pillows. I like to create pillows with matching or coordinating fabrics from a room but I also like to add premade pillows that look like they were "found" or like you picked them up somewhere and they just happen to work in the room. I wanted to show you some of the pillow that are available now so you can see how beautiful and intricate a ready made pillow can be.

These are from a company called Ankasa. They do some of the most amazing detail work I have ever seen. You might be familiar with them from their womens apparel. The next time you are in NY you should check out their store on East 65th Street.

A close up of the Ankasa pillow detail.

I like this pillow because the pattern is casual but they have added crystals to it to give it dimension and a little bit of style.

This is that new greyish-purple that is very popular now. A friend of mine was in europe this summer and said this color is everywhere...Im sure it will be coming soon to a store near you. The pillow in the back is a beautiful burn out velvet. The pillow in the front is another beautiful Ankasa pillow.

These are some chic casual options for pillows. The pillow with the number is made from old tarp canvas that has been painted. The woven stripe behind it is from Dash and Albert...they also do this pattern in a throw and rugs.

The aqua chain embroidered pattern pillow is surprisingly inexpensive...it would add a great soft little pop of color to a neutral room. The yellow pillow with it is another beauty from...surprise...Ankasa.

Being a big fan of traditional "clubby" design I love this pillow, it is a screen print on burlap. Burlap is coming in alot of different colors now and we are using it in alot of different applications including window treatments.

I love the bold color in these embroidered pillows from Ankasa.

Guess who the rectangular pillow in the front is from? Thats right another beauty from Ankasa. The pillow in the back has a large damask printed in a metallic ink...a nice bit of drama when the light hits it right.

I dont think a bed could get much more romantic than all white bed linens and this snow white beauty from Ankasa...doesnt it remind you of a beautiful wedding?

Love the color...or lack of...from Ankasa.

Look at that detail...a work of art!

CUSTOM PILLOWS

Here are some samples of custom pillows...they can make the difference between a good room and a beautifully thought out complete room.

I told you how much I am enjoying Suzani patterns right now. This fabric was begging to be made into a round pillow.

This is a "boxed" pillow with a beautiful complimenting brush fringe.

A close up of the boxing with...surprise...a complimenting fabric on the boxing.

I like to add a neckroll to a bench or with bedding. This one is done in a tonal crewel fabric with complimenting decorative cord and a fun brush fringe.

just wanted to show the detail on the neckroll. I also like to gather the ends of the pillow and add a pretty decorative button.

This is a simple but beautiful square pillow with a minigram. We added a pleated ruffle made from a heavier upholstery fabric to give it some weight.

I love the upholstery weight fabric on the pleated ruffle...great texture, and the solid cord really defines the lines of the pillow.

This pillow shows how fun it is to mix fabrics and trims on a pillow. The size is great if dont like alot of pillows on your bed or its great by itself on a long sofa.

About Me

I am a decorator with Williams and Sherrill, a full service design studio in Richmond, Virginia. It took a few career changes for me to realize that decorating was my passion. Beautiful things, beautiful food, beautiful interiors, beautiful traditions combine to create a beautiful life.